Chaos Rules
by CLMScagliotti
Summary: AU-ish Clinks. Claudia and Steve's friendship started off rather messily, but when tragic circumstances trap both of them in a difficult situation, they have to work together to hold their shared family in one piece. With the help of a special, sassy someone, they quickly figure out that they're a much better team than they initially expected.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: KNOCK KNOCK. Hey guys. So, since my rule to not post anything new until I finish something I've already started publishing resulted in me not uploading at all anymore, I decided to switch strategies. Maybe that'll help. I really just want to get active again.**

 **I've been sitting on this story since what feels like forever, and I really wanted to get this out there. What can I say about it beforehand? Let's see: It's an AU with slight crossovers to Eureka, but you don't have to know the other show. It probably ignores all rules of the American educational system, and it's named after the poem the screenwriters made up for Rheticus ("…and chaos rules and order lost, and hidden then, my heart, from love.") as well as Garbage's song "When I Grow Up", which Claudia and her sister performed in the fifth season ("Chaos rules when we're apart.").**

 **Also, since it was her birthday yesterday (missed it by only a little bit), this is a little gift to my dear friend Kath.**

 **KTF CLM**

Chapter 1: Intro (Kenswick, Minnesota - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Geneva, Switzerland - Eureka, Oregon)

Bringing a girl home had always been a rare thing for Joshua Donovan to do. Even more so once he was left on his own with Claudia, after their parents and sister died.

She had been seven, he had been eighteen years old.

He'd just started going to college, and almost dropped out because their life had become such a mess. But Claudia encouraged him, teased him, shoved him. She was so young, but already proved herself to the world on a daily basis. They were both hurt, and they missed their family terribly. But they weren't willing to give up and throw away their lives.

If nothing else, the tragic accident in 1999 had proved that everything could be over in the blink of an eye. Joshua and Claudia grieved, longed, missed. But they had both decided for themselves; they would make the most they possibly could of the time they got.

Josh took his younger sister to Massachusetts with him. There he continued studying physics at the MIT, where their cousin Zane had been accepted at age thirteen only to get kicked out again. He and Joshua talked occasionally, about how Zane was doing and how Claudia was handling the changes.

While both of the siblings struggled emotionally, they were extremely intelligent nonetheless. Although Claudia had pulled a grimace when her brother told her he'd found a new school for her, she started studying again two months after they moved to Cambridge. She never felt understood by 'kids her age', and easily fell back into her pattern of avoiding social situations. There were a few she got along with, sure. But she never really shared much of herself with any of them.

They had been alone together for a little over a year the first time Joshua told her he'd met someone, and Claudia immediately disliked the young woman. While the stranger was pretty and not dumb, she didn't care or understand him the way his sister knew he deserved it. At first, Joshua thought the eight year old simply didn't want to share him. He would've understood it, really.

But as it turned out, Claudia had been right either way. The whole thing lasted for two months, which honestly surprised him. He hadn't expected it to survive longer than a few weeks, not since he realized what his sister had seen right away.

A few months later, the short story repeated itself in a similar style. Only with another woman. A fellow MIT student; blonde, blue eyed, surprisingly chatty, she seemed nice at first sight. But when she wasn't studying, she was pulling Joshua through the nightlife of Cambridge. And when he told her he wasn't willing to leave Claudia alone for a whole night, she didn't take it too well. They had that argument three times, before she broke up with him.

This time around, Claudia felt bad. No, she hadn't liked the woman too much. But Joshua had seen something in her, and the girl felt like she ruined it.

After that, her brother decided to focus on studying. When he was at home, she often glanced over his shoulder as he worked. It looked interesting. Very much so. She'd asked him to teach her a few things, and she learned fast. Well, in matters of physics and computers anyway. He had to put up more of a struggle trying to get into her head how to make an omelet.

But the two of them had a lot of fun. Whether it was cooking with the stereo turned up, reading before bedtime or taking apart the laws of science.

The more time passed by since their loss, the more they grew together. They could laugh and joke around again, and they made a great team. The nights in which Claudia would cuddle against his side and cry herself to sleep became an absolute rarity, and both of their nightmares started fading away.

Claudia had been ten years old, almost eleven, when _she_ walked into their lives.

 _It was Joshua's last year of college, and they were trying to finally decide what would happen afterwards. He considered several universities and laboratories all around the globe to dive into his own research, including his only current crush: quantum particle entanglement._

 _The siblings were sitting at a table in their favorite café by the campus, looking down on stacks of papers. There were places to live for them, places to work for Joshua, places to go to school for Claudia and a few pieces that had been empty when they arrived. Now, there were drawings and equations all over them. Most of it was his handwriting, but she just couldn't help adding her thoughts here or there._

 _They had started with projects and programs they could think of that would support Joshua's research, since they both agreed that they could figure out the rest once he had a more exact idea of where he wanted to work. Getting whichever job he chose probably wouldn't be much of a problem, but Claudia made sure her brother had more than one stable plan anyway. When talking about schools for her, the girl had merely shrugged and said she would be fine as long as they'd be side by side. At least until she finished high school and could kick start her own career, which Joshua insisted would happen sooner rather than later. Whether he liked it or not. Of course, he was proud that his sister had caught herself so well. But separation, after all those years and everything that happened? It sounded... painful, to put it mildly._

 _However, in the end the conversation went as usually: They drifted off and discussed complex scientific problems Joshua ran into recently, again and again._

 _"But what if I-"_

 _"I know what you're thinking Josh, but I don't wanna explain to the cleaning people why there are human limbs and guts all over your lab."_

 _"I wouldn't start with- Damn it, now I see it too. How could I forget?"_

 _"You're chaotic, which isn't uncommon within people who try to bend the laws of physics. You forget a lot when you're stressed, but don't worry. I don't."_

 _While Joshua pouted silently, Claudia continued to examine their notes. She had just picked up a piece of paper, scanning the page with her curious brown eyes. A few strands of dark brown hair fell beside her face like a curtain, including one near the front that was braided together with a dark blue streak. Claudia raised her gaze, intending to ask her brother a question, only to find Joshua looking right above her head._

 _No, scratch that. He was_ staring _, with eyes round as plates and his mouth hanging slightly ajar. Claudia gave him a funny look, but he didn't even notice it. With a sigh, the girl turned her head to see what got him so distracted._

 _At the table behind the girl sat a young woman, probably a little younger than Josh himself but not much. Her hair was a deep shade of brown that reminded Claudia of her own, a color like dark chocolate. It stopped just before it could reach her shoulders, and it was partially captured in a solo side braid going from the left side of her forehead to the back of her head. The piercing pair of blue eyes was obviously watching them, sparkling with amusement. She didn't look away when Claudia's gaze met hers, merely chuckling softly._

 _"I'm sorry, it's just... I barely understood a word of what you were talking about, but you two are so sweet. He's your brother, isn't he?"_

 _The ten year old wasn't fond of being watched or spied on, she didn't like it when Joshua got sidetracked like that and she sure as hell wasn't a fan of being called 'sweet'. But there was something about that young woman... Sympathy? Mutual understanding? Hell, she didn't even know her! But Joshua was obviously interested in_ getting _to know the stranger._

 _Claudia smiled, nodding eagerly before she pointed over her shoulder with a thumb; motioning towards the still stunned Joshua._

 _"That's Josh, and I'm Claudia. And if it somehow helps you, there aren't a lot of people who would understand my brother's work. But I live with him, so I was bound to learn something. It's actually pretty cool."_

 _"It sounded like it, but... Okay, what exactly is 'it'?"_

 _The pretty stranger grinned sheepishly, almost apologetically._

 _Claudia knew the answer, of course. But instead of telling her, she kicked her brother's shin under the table. The message was clear; it was his turn._

 _"It's... uh, quantum particle entanglement."_

 _The girl couldn't tell if Joshua was so up in the clouds the he needed a moment to remember the focus of his own project, or if he had been looking for a less nerdy way to say it. Either way, she decided to help out. She rolled her eyes with a healthy dose of dramatically exaggerated annoyance, smirking at the young woman._

 _"That's Fancy Pants' way of saying he's setting up a theory about teleportation."_

 _"Wow, seriously? I didn't think that's even possible."_

 _The stranger's awestruck expression had Joshua blushing and Claudia beaming._

 _"Well, it's not." He said._

 _"Not yet." She added._

 _Sometimes, Joshua wondered where his little sister, who backed away from just about every kid around_ her _age, got that kind of confidence while talking to people_ his _age. In that moment, it actually made him a little jealous. Those blue eyes had him searching for his lost vocabulary, and all he could hope was that it wouldn't be the first and only time._

 _"Currently, we're not legally allowed to go through with experiments and nobody figured out the real deal yet. I mean, there's been progress and that alone is amazing. But..."_

 _"But you think you can stretch the horizon a little further."_

 _The woman had finished the thought for him, smiling at the enthusiastic spark she could see in his eyes._

 _They got along well. So well, in fact, that Joshua actually became pretty chatty. He answered the stranger's questions about his work and studies at MIT, and in return she told them that she just recently moved from New Jersey to Massachusetts to study at Harvard Medical School. She was into photography and music, and previously lived with her younger brother and their mother._

 _Over an hour went by without any of them really noticing it, before the young woman got half a heart attack when a clock on the wall caught her gaze. She apologized hurriedly, and was halfway out the door when Joshua subconsciously stood up to place a hand on her shoulder._

 _"I'm sorry, but I don't think I caught your name."_

 _A grin spread across her face again, her blue eyes shining sheepishly._

 _"Give me your phone."_

 _He hadn't realized how close they were until after his hand dropped from her shoulder to her upper arm, and then in his pocket. He handed over the device without further hesitation, even though he couldn't process the situation until she had given it back._

 _There was a new number and name within his contacts._

 _His head shot up, but the door was already falling shut behind the young woman. Claudia rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling hopefully when she heard her brother whispering the soon to be so familiar name._

 _"Olivia."_

Soon enough, Joshua and Claudia spent almost every free minute of his last college year with Olivia. They grew closer over those months, as if they'd known each other all their lives.

Olivia dragged Joshua out of his previous comfort zone, showing him the world in a whole new light.

Claudia trusted the young woman easier and faster than anyone else she'd ever met, and the girl was more than willing to support her relationship with her older brother however she could. She let Olivia feel welcomed, went with them when Liv suggested it and stayed home alone to give the 'grownups' time for themselves. Claudia's favorite thing to discuss with Olivia was music though. It reminded her of years ago, when she sang with Claire. And it meant a lot to her that she wasn't afraid to tell Olivia how she felt about it.

Olivia was so much the siblings had been missing before they met her.

Of course, because of that it hurt even more when they parted ways. Joshua was done with the MIT. He wanted to stay in Massachusetts, with his girlfriend, but she didn't let him. Olivia didn't want him to put his glorious future on a hold for her. She had come to his graduation party with Claudia, and the next day they said their goodbyes.

Joshua and Claudia moved to Switzerland, since he had been offered to start working at CERN in Geneva. The then eleven year old was a little down, for various reasons. She missed Olivia, and the school she was sent to annoyed her to hell. Only about a quarter of the people born around there could follow her English, which made it necessary for her to rapidly improve her lingual skills. First French, then Italian and German. Sure, she was quick to catch up. She had always learned fast, but that didn't make things much better.

The siblings had been in Europe for three years when the invitation came. A handful of scientists who cooperated with CERN had connections, with a facility called Global Dynamics. Apparently, it was a top secret government project; a collection of the world's most promising and forward-looking geniuses. They'd kept an eye on Joshua's progress, and finally they asked him to join them.

That was why, within only days, Joshua and Claudia packed their stuff and moved from Geneva in Switzerland to Eureka in Oregon.

There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that it crossed his mind too, but Claudia ended up being the one to point out that Olivia would graduate a few weeks afterwards. They had several discussions about it; which basically consisted of Joshua insisting that the young woman probably moved on and forgot about him a long time ago, while his sister reminded him that they were still in contact and he should stop being such an exhausting pain in the ass.

 _"You'll never know unless you actually_ try, _Joshua! Now gather your frakking guts and book us a flight."_ turned out to be the teenage girl's final hit. She'd won, of course, and one week later they found themselves back in Massachusetts.

They appeared at the ceremony as surprise visitors, and Olivia's jaw almost dropped to the floor. The first time around, because they'd been there at all. The second time, because she had a little trouble recognizing the then fourteen year old Claudia. And the third time around, because Claudia calmly suggested she could come and live with them in Oregon. That one shocked Joshua too, but he couldn't deny that he liked the idea. So yeah, when Olivia asked if they were serious about that idea he started theorizing out loud.

She could work with Doctor Blake at the medical bay of GD, and their new house did have a free bedroom.

To his surprise, that was as far as he got before she interrupted him. She'd agreed, she actually decided to accompany them. And damn, if that didn't remind him of who he was talking to.

Olivia Jinks was truly what they needed in their new home. Spontaneous, creative, spirited, curious, compassionate, dedicated, determined, honest... the list went on and on.

It had been four years now.

Shortly after the three of them moved in together, Olivia started working with Doctor Allison Blake's medical team. Joshua took over the department exploring quantum particle entanglement, and it turned out that Zane had been hired by GD shortly after him. He had been banned into Doctor Parrish's non-lethal weapons laboratory, but somehow always made his way to more interesting projects. Currently, he was finishing off the so-called Sky Cruiser, a high tech hover bike.

For Claudia, Tesla High was the ideal school. Never before had she been surrounded by so many kids and teenagers who she could actually _talk_ to. The lessons went beyond anything any other high school could offer her, and she sincerely couldn't care less about the occasional catastrophe. Explosions, Artificial Intelligence running wild, seasons changing within mere minutes, wannabe superheroes, a second sun, jealous visitors from Area 51, and so much more crazy things she ran into since they moved to Eureka would've driven normal people insane. But she wasn't normal. No, Claudia, not unlike her adrenaline driven cousin, welcomed the crazy challenges with open arms. And every time she got to help and save the day, the grin she walked away with grew brighter and prouder.

Yeah, life in Eureka was treating them well. More and more, with every day. Especially days like this one.

Claudia watched the scene with warm eyes and a soft smile, crossing her ankles underneath the chair she sat on. The heels of her black ankle boots were not something the eighteen year old could say she was used to, but surprisingly enough they weren't as uncomfortable as she had assumed either. Olivia had picked them, along with the dress Claudia was wearing. It was cherry red, barely reached her knees and was wrapped in lace. The outer layer went above the heart shaped neckline and down her back on the other side, and the long sleeves completely consisted of the lacey material. A thin black belt was holding the fabric around her waist. It was the same dress the bridesmaids got, but theirs were green with red belts and shoes. After all, Olivia had made sure her maid of honor would be recognized at first sight.

Red and green were the allover color scheme, which was why the entire place looked 'only a little' Christmas-y. But as Olivia pointed out, she absolutely loved Christmas. So did Joshua, Claudia, Emma, and apparently just about every other guest. Nobody dared to object, and it actually ended up pretty damn amazing.

Plus, Christmas wasn't that far away. They'd chosen to get married in winter. It was Joshua's favorite time of the year, and this way Olivia would get her honeymoon snowboarding lessons. Her husband managed to learn a bit in the three years he and his sister lived in Geneva, and now his wife couldn't wait to try it.

Although right in that moment, Claudia doubted they cared about much except each other.

Joshua and Olivia had just finished their first dance as husband and wife, but had yet to let go of one another. They looked so incredibly happy, as if all the bad in this world didn't even exist. No troubles, no worries, no problems. In that moment, it was just them.

Most people in the room were gathering on the dance floor, and if they hadn't been the constant center of attention Claudia might've missed the couple approaching her.

"Why, if that isn't Mister and Misses Donovan. Shouldn't you be on the dance floor? Don't tell me your feet hurt already, after one dance in those shoes. If I can do it, you sure as hell can."

Claudia smirked sheepishly, her eyes wandering from her brother to her sister in law as she spoke. Olivia shrugged unapologetically in return, carefully running the hand that wasn't holding Joshua's through her hair. It had grown out quite a lot since she stopped cropping it every few months, and was loosely captured in a bohemian side braid for the occasion.

"A little. But hey, I didn't see you dancing yet. Who says you can do it, Cherry Head?"

"I say so, you'll see I'm right. As always. And you know, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's actually more copper."

The teenager grinned, dramatically gesturing to her head. She'd dyed her hair last week, and was pretty happy with the result. Listening to all the nicknames she'd gotten since then was a price she was eager to pay.

"That was one beautiful dance, Olivia."

Claudia turned her head to see Emma Jinks approaching, her brother's new mother in law. Neither Joshua nor Claudia spent a whole lot of time with her at this point, but she seemed like a very kind and sincere woman. She obviously loved her children and took good care of them, no matter how hard things probably got after their father died. That was a quality Joshua and Claudia both quickly recognized and truly appreciated.

"Thanks, mom. I'm just glad you and Stevie are here."

Olivia smiled warmly, and there were tears in her usually so sharp blue eyes.

There had been some sort of turbulence with the flight from New Jersey to Oregon the previous week, and Olivia's family almost hadn't been able to attend the wedding because of that. Getting another flight wasn't easy around this time of the year. Claudia remembered the attack the bride had gotten when she heard the news. It hadn't been pretty, so the teenager was now twice as happy that things ended well.

Emma smiled gently, cupping her daughter's cheek. For a moment, her gaze wandered to Joshua before it settled on Olivia again.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. And neither would your brother."

Claudia's eyes scanned the crowd, and found the young man standing a few steps away from pretty much everyone else about the same time as the bride did. Olivia's smile fell, a look of worry replacing the spark in her eyes. It wouldn't have taken a genius to know why. Steve hadn't talked to anyone except his sister and his mother, and occasionally his brother in law, since he arrived. Claudia had tried to start a conversation with him, but it wasn't like she expected him to meet her halfway. Unlike their mother, he hadn't been there to meet the siblings four years ago. Not when Olivia graduated, not when they showed a stunned Emma their new home... Claudia was actually a little surprised to see him now. Previously, she'd only ever heard stories and seen pictures. Liv said he'd been in Massachusetts to congratulate her the week before graduation, because the back then nineteen year old had something important going on that day. Was it university? Work? Claudia wasn't sure anymore. In fact, Olivia's stories about her beloved little brother mostly ended around the time she moved out of New Jersey when she was eighteen and he was fifteen years old.

Did the distance really drive them apart this far? Claudia was eighteen now, and even though she hadn't told anyone yet, she was about to leave. Could this possibly happen to her too? Would she lose that tight bond she formed with Joshua and Olivia after all those years?

Out of the corner of her eye, Claudia caught movement. Olivia was just about to make her way through the couples dancing in the middle of the room, and she didn't look happy. Not exactly angry either, just worried.

The teenager reached out and got a hold of her wrist, gently holding the bride in place as she stood up.

"Via, this is your day. Enjoy the party, and let me talk to him. What am I your Maid of Honor for?"

Olivia hesitated at first, but when their eyes met she smiled gratefully.

"You're my Maid of Honor because you're the best, and basically my sister. I hope you know that." She leapt forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Claudia, lowering her volume to a whisper. "Thank you, Dia. For everything."

Before Claudia could do much more than smile, Olivia took Joshua by the hand again and he led her to their seats. The redhead nodded into Emma's direction, before she turned on the heels of her ankle boots to go find the woman's son.

It didn't take long, since she had already spotted him from afar and he wasn't exactly hiding. But he obviously wasn't expecting to be approached either.

His blue eyes landed on the 5' 7'' redhead marching into his direction, one eyebrow raised. He didn't say anything, just waited for her to talk. And she did. With her hands on her hips, she tilted her head to the side and clicked her tongue.

"Care to tell me why you're looking like someone left you in the rain on your sister's wedding day?"

"It's nice to meet you too. Claudia, right?"

Steve almost looked amused right then, but Claudia really didn't. No, the young woman had a fire in her deep brown eyes. But what really confused him, was the concern he thought to see behind it.

"Yes. And you could've met me years ago, if you had simply visited. But that doesn't answer my question, Steve."

He frowned, bringing the glass he was holding to his lips. Claudia stayed exactly where she was, determination written in her eyes. She could easily tell that he was trying to get around talking to her, but she wasn't simple to get rid of. Eventually, his glass was empty. And she still stood there, arms crossed in front of her chest and a challenging look on her face.

"You know what? Fine. You don't wanna talk, so we won't."

Surprise was evident in his eyes when that reached his ears, but he didn't let his guard down. Something told him this wasn't over yet. It served as enough of a confirmation when she took his empty glass, left it on the closest table and grabbed his hand instead.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Smirking, she started pulling him along with her towards the crowd.

"If you don't wanna talk, you're gonna help me to prove a point instead."

He was about to ask what the hell she was even talking about, but they'd already reached the dance floor. She turned around and quickly locked her hands behind his neck, not giving him time to step back. Although for some reason, he didn't really mind. He'd automatically gone with it, resting his hands on her waist. And really, how could he not move at all when music was playing? And when there was that forceful eighteen year old looking at him expectantly, with her big brown Bambi eyes...

Well, damn it. She had him dancing.

And even more surprisingly, he was enjoying it. Steve was having a good time, which he really hadn't seen coming. He was only here for Olivia, nothing more. And the brunette was on the other side of the room, stealing off her husband's plate.

Claudia caught his gaze, and smiled warmly when she spotted the newlyweds.

"I'm glad, you know. They both deserve to be happy. And Olivia's great. Honestly, before we met her I didn't think any of his girlfriends would ever be good enough for my brother. After everything he's done for me, with an angel's patience... But Livi's-"

The redhead abruptly stopped talking when Steve's hands left her waist, one of them gently grabbing her upper arm. She couldn't quite swallow the surprised squeal that left her lips when he pulled her off the dance floor and towards the door.

It wasn't until she found herself outside, where the vows had been exchanged only an hour or two ago, that she actually got the chance to study Steve's expression. Although it was winter and therefore the sky was already darkening, she could see his blue eyes shining with concern.

It took a moment for realization to sink in.

"Hang on, are you worried about Olivia?"

The young man shifted uncomfortably on his feet, visibly hesitating before he spoke again.

"Not exactly. I mean, Livi can watch out for herself. But... I don't know your brother, alright? When she met him, she was suddenly so busy. She called less often, and when she did she asked more questions than we got the chance to ask! Then he left, and things went back to the way they were when she started college. Except she was... _sad_. Claudia, Liv is _not_ a sad person. She's energetic, and fierce and sarcastic, and-"

"She's a total badass queen, I know." She sighed, nodding slowly. "Listen up, Jinksy. I've lived with these two for a while now, and I can tell you there's nothing to worry about. Of course she was down back then. She missed him. Maybe me, too. And most likely you and Emma. But since they're married now, he'll probably cling to her for the rest of her life. So yeah, I think she won't have to miss him again any time soon."

He appeared thoughtful, but stayed silent. His gaze was locked to the ground, until he looked up when she placed a cautious hand on his arm.

"Steve, Joshua's good to her. He's harmless, really. If anything, _she's_ got _him_ whipped and I'm pretty sure you know that. Back then, Olivia told him to go and take his chance. He wouldn't have left if she hadn't. And the spontaneous choice to come with us to Eureka? She decided that way, because it's what she wanted. And obviously, it's what she still wants. Otherwise, she wouldn't be here."

Their eyes met, and she could see it. She'd reminded him of the one thing he had actually forgotten within all his concerns: It was _Olivia_. The quick-witted, tenacious, sagacious Olivia Jinks. As if that woman would ever let a man tell her what to do.

A sly smirk crossed Steve's lips, which automatically helped to brighten the mood. There was something about that cheeky smile that made Claudia cheerful.

"I'd wish your brother good luck, but this one's on him. I hope he knows what he got himself into."

The redhead chuckled, shrugging sheepishly.

"Hey, he knows Via."

"And he knows _you_. If he survived Hurricane Claudia this far..."

She glared playfully at him, lightly punching his upper arm.

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't even really know me!"

"Liv talks about you a lot. And as far as I can tell, her descriptions were pretty accurate. But no worries. I don't think she ever said anything negative. Well, nothing she would consider negative anyway. What does confuse me a little is why you're still here."

With that, Claudia's mood shifted. Something about his last comment obviously made her uncomfortable.

"What do you mean? Where should I be?"

He shrugged, not visibly reacting to her nervousness. Of course, he noticed it. But there was absolutely no need to pull her nerves even further.

"Well, as far as I understand you're pretty smart. I kinda assumed you'd be going to college right about now. You don't have to, sure. But I thought..."

Steve left the unfinished sentence hanging in the air, giving Claudia a chance to consider it. She swallowed silently, closing her eyes and tightening her arms around herself. The redhead almost looked... guilty?

"I will. When I was sixteen, Henry firstly told me he could get me a spot. I said I didn't want it. Last year, I was once again offered one at MIT. I declined again. But... for some reason, I accepted the last time around. I'll be starting classes soon."

He took a few seconds to process her words. Why she decided against it, and eventually changed her mind, was none of his business. He wasn't gonna ask about anything like that, especially since he had a feeling she wasn't quite sure about the answer herself. But the further it sunk in, the more clearly he realized what the current problem was.

"You haven't told anyone else yet."

It was a statement, not a question. But she didn't even seem to take note of that fact. Instead, she nodded numbly. There was a faraway look in her eyes, and for a moment he could see it. She was hurting. This was leading her mind to a dark place, although he didn't understand why. It obviously meant a lot more in her sight than he could recognize.

There was a sense of déjà-vu about this scene; a young woman who usually bounced with energy and determination looking so fragile and doubtful. She wasn't broken, but she wasn't as repaired as she presented herself either.

Steve chuckled quietly, earning a confused glare from the young woman.

"What's suddenly so funny?"

"I'm sorry. It's just... I get it now, you know? Why you and Liv got along so well right away."

The glare disappeared, and now Claudia just looked plain confused. What the hell did any of this have to do with _that_? To her, the case was clear. She and Olivia were thick as thieves, because she tried her very best. The woman was an idol to the redhead, someone to look up to. So yeah, she'd fought to keep her in their lives.

Seeing the look on her face, he decided to clarify before she could even ask.

"You said it yourself, Livi's a clever and tough girl. She's not invincible, but she knows her way. Whatever tries to hold her down, gets thrown off."

"We've pretty much established the fact that your sister's freaking Wonder Woman, Steve. But what does that have to do with _me_?"

"Are you kidding? You're basically the same way!"

She scoffed, shaking her head in protest.

"No, I'm not. I'm not half as strong or stable as she is. She's balanced, and collected and I'm... a mess."

Steve sighed, but stayed calm despite her sinking mood. She just couldn't see herself that way, he understood that.

"I never said you were the same person as she is, I simply meant that you've got that in common. Come on, Claudia. You're stronger than this."

"We basically just met. How would you know?"

"I don't have to spend a whole lot of time with you to know that much. I know Olivia, I know how she thinks of you and I know she's right. It's as simple as that."

Her reaction was less than minimal, and not really what he'd been aiming for. She wasn't entirely wrong, he didn't know her personally. He just knew what his sister told him, and what he saw today. Something told him that he was right about her, but how could he explain that?

With another sigh, Steve stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, so I don't know you. All I got are... impressions. Of you and the life you're living, the people and places surrounding you here. And honestly, you fit in. You fit into this... crazy world hidden from the rest, where people are five times as smart and probably ten times as dangerous as anywhere else, exactly because of that. You're not merely... _surviving_ your life, like others do. You're actually _living_ it. You wanna hear my impression of Claudia Donovan? There's an intelligence that got a bunch of grown scientists jealous, strength that catches a lot of people off guard and on their ass, a sarcastic and daring attitude that doesn't annoy people half as much as it likely should, an actually rare honesty that-"

That was as far as he got, before his sentence was cut off by a pair of red lips meeting his. And he just froze. Sure, he had known she could be impulsive and unpredictable. But he really hadn't seen _that_ coming! And the weirdest part for him was that it didn't seem so wrong right then. It actually felt good, and Steve almost caught himself responding when the redhead jumped back.

For a moment she only stood there, with those big brown Bambi eyes. Then they fell shut, and with trembling lips she found her voice again.

"I-I'm... Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Steve. I-"

Her eyes opened again, but she avoided looking at him. He should say something, he knew he should. But he simply didn't know _what_. She'd caught him so off guard, and that was something extremely rare for him.

She swallowed audibly, crossing her arms in front of her chest again. He could see that she was freezing, but didn't want to step closer to even just hand over his jacket now. The distance in between them already wasn't enough anymore.

(And yet, it was too much.)

Apparently, Claudia agreed because she reluctantly pointed over her shoulder with a thumb.

"I'm gonna... Uh, go find Zane or Zoe or Jo or Henry or... You know, I'll be inside. See you later, I guess."

Steve nodded numbly, still unable to speak. He could only watch as she turned around and walked away, and freeze again when she stopped in the doorway and turned to look at him. For a split second, their gazes met. And he could swear he saw a small smile on her lips.

"Hey, Steve? Thanks. You know, for... telling me all that. I've got some things to think about now."

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, which she might've barely noticed before she walked inside and disappeared out of his sight. A few seconds after she'd left, he slowly found himself relaxing. Although the wheels in his mind were only starting to turn. He shook his head, whispering to himself before he followed her example and went back into the building.

"Yeah, me too."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: KNOCK KNOCK.**

 **I'll try to sum up this explanation as good as I can.**

 **Claudia was 10 years old when they met Olivia, 11 when they moved to Geneva, 14 when they moved to Eureka, and 18 when Joshua and Olivia got married. So far, so good. Not unlike the previous chapter, this one includes a few looks backwards. (This time around, at the years in between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.) But at the time this is actually set, Claudia's 24 years old. I kept a lot of original storylines from the show, only shoving them a few years. Canonically, Claudia was about 18/19-19/20 during the first two seasons. Here, she was 22-23/24.**

 **Steve's 5, Olivia's 8 and Joshua's 11 years older than Claudia. Claire, who'll likely become a topic later on, was born in the same year as Olivia. I set the birth years as 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1992. Meaning the first chapter/the wedding was in 2010 and this chapter plays in 2016.**

 **Joshua and Claudia met Olivia in 2002, which would've been the year he got himself trapped in the interdimensional vortex in the canon storyline.**

 **And for Eureka fans: They moved to Oregon in 2006, so in the same year as Sheriff Carter and Zoe.**

 **There** _ **are**_ **things I pretty much erased from the story here. Within others, the thing with Claudia and Fargo (as frakking adorable as it was) didn't happen here. Why? Well, as I already mentioned Claudia moved to town around the same time Zoe did, and she's a year younger than Miss Carter too. Claude lived in Eureka from age 14 to 18 (and only a few months when she was 22). From my POV, it would make things kind of awkward.**

 **I hope that's understandable, since I'm aware that I suck at explaining stuff. Usually, I only confuse people. But please, if you've got any questions, feel free to ask.**

 **One last side note? This is the fourth weekend in a row I'm posting something here. Yay!**

 **KTF CLM**

Claudia walked into her room at Leena's B&B, letting the bag that was previously slung over her slender shoulder fall to the floor with a thud. She aimed directly for the bed, dropping face first onto the mattress.

She loved her job, she honestly did. But recently, it simply exhausted and confused her.

Once she had graduated from MIT more than two years ago, she'd gone back to Eureka to be with her family. College had been an experience, but Massachusetts altogether wasn't the same to her without Joshua by her side. She'd missed Olivia too, as well as her friends in Oregon and her much adored niece.

Claudia had been nineteen years old when her sister in law called to deliver the news, and eight months later she found herself visiting Eureka to meet the most beautiful little girl she'd ever seen. Cadence Emira Donovanwas merely a few days old back then, and she stole her aunt's heart the second she firstly looked at the young woman with those big blue eyes. Her skin was so incredibly soft, her hands and feet so artfully tiny, and altogether she looked so breathtaking but also terribly fragile. Claudia had held the infant in her arms, and she never wanted to give her back. She'd wanted to protect that innocent young soul from the rest of the world, too painfully aware of its dark sides.

But the redhead hadn't gotten much of a choice then. She hadn't been done with studying. So really, nobody was surprised when she had eventually returned and wanted to finally grow roots in Eureka.

One might call what happened merely a few months later a coincidence, irony, serendipity or fate.

Claudia never really cared about her degree an awful lot, but she had her fun teasing Zane because both, she and her brother, had successfully graduated from the same reputable college he had gotten his ass kicked out of. Of course, she knew that he could've easily done it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up there at age thirteen in the first place. And sure, he also knew that she wasn't serious about what she said. Just as well as she knew that he didn't mean it when he asked her where she had hit her head before she decided to start college _that late_. They knew and respected one another well enough, it was simply a fun game. The two of them tested each other's limits again and again, driving the town's sheriff and GD's head of security absolutely nuts. (As if it wasn't enough for Jo to be Zane's wife.) Pretty much everything in Eureka was connected and hackable, although it wasn't meant to be easy. With Zane and Claudia Donovan around, everyone in town desperately tried and failed to tenfold their firewalls and protect their technology of the next generation. They got through _anything_.

And when Claudia found out about the one system her cousin had been unable to break into, she quickly accepted that as the ultimate challenge. If she could do it, she could officially rub it under his nose that she had skills beyond what he could teach her when she was younger.

It took more time and effort than she was used to, but eventually she did it.

Claudia had hacked and found the address of the unknown: Warehouse 13. K39ZZZ on the North American Grid, her ticket to victory and one of the most intriguing things she'd ever heard of.

The young hacker had been beyond curious, proud and completely oblivious to the fact that there was someone else who simultaneously smiled at her own screen, where she'd watched the redhead's progress.

 _It was the night after Claudia had finally cracked the digital walls surrounding the mysterious Warehouse 13, and the redhead was in a glorious mood. She just returned from Global Dynamics, where she helped Zane with an experiment and just by the way informed him of her achievement. It was clear that his ego caught a scratch or two, which made the success so much sweeter, but mostly he was amazed and asked questions. She hadn't been willing to share a lot though, knowing that she could dangle that treat above his head now._

 _That, along with the thrill she naturally got when she explored something seemingly unexplained, her grand enthusiasm at work and a lunch break at Café Diem including her beloved niece, made her altogether cheerful._

 _The redhead approached the front door of her apartment with bouncing steps, habitually placing her hand on the door. It recognized her, and started the retina scan. Once it also accepted the pair of sparkling brown eyes as Claudia's, glowing letters and numbers showed up on the door. That was the keyboard, where she had to type in her password, which consisted of a series of numbers that would seem random to anyone else. Truthfully, though, it was a mixture of little geeky references and parts of important dates, for example including the day her parents died, the month she came to Eureka and the year her niece was born._

 _The door swung open, and Claudia walked through the doorway with a beaming smile on her lips. She dropped the messenger bag slung over her shoulder on the floor against the wall, and made her way to the kitchen._

 _"Hey, SARAH."_

 _When she moved in, she'd given Fargo permission to open a way for the AI residing in the walls of Sheriff Carter's home to her apartment. SARAH quickly grew lonely, and repeatedly complained that she couldn't leave her position since Carter refused to drive any car where she was 'installed'. So she kept hacking her way wherever she wanted to be heard, until Claudia asked if she'd like to be her 'part time roommate'. SARAH was very enthusiastic about it, Fargo agreed the second it reached his ears and Jack was simply grateful to get some peace. He already had a human family to take care of, and his AI 'housewife' could be rather exhausting._

 _With that, Claudia couldn't argue. But still, when her greeting didn't receive a reply in the form of Fargo's pitched voice, she missed it. SARAH could easily watch both of her homes simultaneously, and she knew that the redhead would be coming home now. Usually, SARAH welcomed her before she could close the front door behind herself._

 _The young woman turned her head into the direction of the closest camera, confusion and worry written across her expression._

 _"SARAH, are you around?"_

 _One, two, three, four, five..._

 _... fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine, sixty._

 _No response._

 _The AI was probably busy lecturing the sheriff about his cholesterol levels. Yeah, that was most likely why she wasn't answering._

 _But wasn't Carter out with Allison and the kids tonight?_

 _Despite her best attempts to remain completely level-headed, the redhead could hear her heartbeat speeding up. She swallowed silently, slowly walking towards the living room. Although she loved her heavy combat boots, she was now too painfully aware of the sound they made on the wooden floor with every step she took. In comparison, her voice sounded even quieter._

 _"SARAH?"_

 _"She'll be back once I'm done here."_

 _Startled, Claudia jumped and searched the room for the source of that stranger's voice. Her breath caught in her throat when a woman stepped out of the shadows in the corner, just beside the window. In the light now surrounding the uninvited guest, the redhead got a chance to study her appearance. Dark skin; a dark blue business costume almost closing around her neck, with a skirt reaching below her knees; brown hair captured in a beehive-like style; and a pair of sharp brown eyes watching every move Claudia made._

 _"Who the hell are you? And how did you get past the security system?"_

 _The intruder smirked in amusement, which irritated Claudia endlessly. She knew her systems. Zane had been able to get through, but he actually admitted that he was impressed. And then, the two of them had fixed and shut the one entrance he'd found. She ran regular checks, and it should be damn near impossible to get in unnoticed._

 _But that woman_ somehow _did it._

 _"My name is Mrs. Frederic, I'm with the government."_

 _"That doesn't answer my second question."_

 _"I have my ways."_

 _The secretive air this person had about her was equally unnerving and intriguing, and it was slowly but surely driving the hacker up the wall. She was gonna figure this out, but she had a feeling the 'visitor' wouldn't help her. So on to the next question._

 _"Fine. What do you want, Mrs. Mysterious?"_

 _The redhead crossed her arms in front of her chest, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. Yes, the older woman was somewhat intimidating. Or a lot. But Claudia wouldn't back down that easily._

 _The problem was that Mrs. Frederic's knowing smirk only seemed to grow, and there was an almost dangerously zealous spark in her watchful eyes._

 _"I have an offer for you, and I am fairly certain you will accept."_

 _"Why would I do that? What could you possibly have to offer that would make me forget that you broke into my apartment?"_

 _Claudia watched the woman cautiously, shifting uncomfortably in her heavy black boots._

 _"We're here to personally consign an invitation, to a world of endless wonder."_

 _The latter part seemed like a bit of an exaggeration to Claudia, possibly a ridiculously dramatic strategy to capture her interest, so she chose to ignore that for the moment and focus on the very start of that odd sentence._

 _"'We'?"_

 _Mrs. Frederic nodded into Claudia's direction, causing the confused young woman to turn her head and jump slightly once again when she spotted a very tall and very statuesque man._

 _"Woah, where'd Colossus here come from?"_

 _She looked up at him, and he stared back. But other than that, he didn't react._

 _"You know, Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin? Big guy from the Marvel comics? He transforms and then he kinda looks like he's made outta steel, and of course he's super strong and... Actually, I could've gone with the Hulk. Chances are better you know that one. But Bruce Banner's usually only_ really huge _when he's_ really mad _, and you don't seem particularly..."_

 _The redhead paused, noting that the guy she could only guess was Mrs. Frederic's personal bodyguard still merely stared her down._

 _"Galactus?"_

 _Again, only uncomfortable silence._

 _"Alright, forget it. I went too far with that one anyway."_

 _With an awkward chuckle, Claudia turned to face the woman again. She'd admitted to herself long ago that she'd been spending a lot of time with comic book collectors and video gamers, but she had her fun so she couldn't bring herself to feel uncomfortable being geeky. However, what did make her a little nervous was being stared at as if she came from another planet. And not one from a Marvel or DC verse. She could deal with that, but not_ this _._

 _"Is he gonna be wherever your invitation leads?"_

 _The redhead pointed over her shoulder with a thumb, raising an eyebrow. There was a little voice in her head begging her to apologize for being such a rude brat, but it was shut up when Mrs. Frederic smirked again. She actually seemed sort of entertained by the scene._

 _"No. He's my bodyguard, and not one of our agents."_

 _"I'm not an agent either."_

 _"Not yet, but we could work on that."_

 _While Claudia was adjusting to her guests' presence and slowly relaxed, this conversation was only getting more perplexing. An agent? Not that she minded it, really. The mental image had something. But who the hell thought of her as an agent of any kind? The closest she got to that sorta action were likely the self-defense lessons she'd asked Jo to give her shortly after they moved to Eureka eight years ago._

 _"Is this some kinda sick joke?" The words were out before she could stop herself. Claudia always had an answer for everything, but this simply didn't make any sense. "Who do you work with? The NSA? I know the FBI isn't very fond of my family, and while Eureka sorta used to be a DOD project I doubt they're the ones who sent you. Does Henry...I mean, does Director Deacon know you're here? What about Doctor Rockwell?"_

 _"Doctor Donovan, there's no need to play this game. I'm just as well aware of the true identity behind 'Doctor Rockwell' as you are. But to answer your question: I did talk to both of them about you. If I remember correctly, Doctor Grant called you a 'rare and hard boiled kitten, who's not afraid to use the incredible brains she's got'. Doctor Deacon didn't have any complaints either, aside from your tendency to cause trouble. Still, he seemed rather impressed with you and repeatedly told me that you were worth the work. You can ask them, if you feel the need to."_

 _The redhead took a moment to take apart the stranger's words. Nobody was supposed to know who Eureka's rightful founder and owner actually was, and they'd covered his tracks well. But somehow, this woman seemed to know a lot she wasn't supposed to. And Grant did usually call Claudia 'red kitten' whenever they met. It annoyed her at times, but at least he'd never called her 'dollface' or something along the lines, which was so modern in his time. And really, he wasn't too shy with compliments, but he was an honest man and meant what he said. So all in all, this could've come from him. As to Henry, he'd adored the girl ever since they first met when she'd moved to Eureka. He always supported her and made sure she worked with her potential. Sometimes, the man showed almost fatherly behavior towards her. It wouldn't surprise her if he recommended her to a project, and if he thought it was good for her, she'd listen._

 _"I will. But you still haven't told me who you actually want me to work for or with. I'd love an actual answer this time around."_

 _Claudia was visibly growing impatient, and was both relieved and doubtful when Mrs. Frederic sent a nod towards her bodyguard, who held out a manila envelope for the young woman. Curiosity won over caution again, and she quickly grabbed the folder and opened it. She started pulling out the documents, but froze her movements when she spotted a specific set of coordinates in one of the first lines._

 _"Warehouse 13."_

 _It wasn't a question, but a statement, said at such a low volume that it was barely audible. But the look on her face alone would've been enough to make the older woman proud._

 _Awestruck, Claudia raised her gaze and looked at her with eyes wide as discs._

 _"Seriously? I mean, you're not kidding? I hack into the database of your top secret government agency, and instead of... I don't know, trying to get me locked up, you offer me a job?"_

 _The knowing smirk returned to Mrs. Frederic's lips, but other than that she seemed rather unaffected by the comment._

 _"I'm expecting you to be there on Sunday by noon, and to get to work on Monday. You can start with the firewalls you broke through."_

 _Claudia was only half listening by then, since she started to actually read the file she was given. A way description, instructions, and what she assumed was her employment contract. Her eyes scanned the page, stopping when she spotted a very familiar sounding name. She just couldn't place it on the spot. So she opened her mouth and raised her gaze to ask Mrs. Frederic about it, but found herself alone._

 _If it wasn't for the open envelope in her hands, she would doubt that anyone had even been there._

 _"Claudia?"_

 _The redhead smiled at the familiar sound of the AI's modified voice, despite the metaphorical kick in the gut it caused. She could already hear SARAH attempting to convince her to stay in Eureka in her head, and she most likely wouldn't be the only one with that 'suggestion'._

 _"Hey, SARAH. Are you okay?"_

 _"It appears I am, but I was locked out of your systems for several minutes. I will start protocols to identify the issue now, and to assure that nothing was damaged. Are you alright?"_

 _"Yeah, I'm fine. I just... got some things to think through."_

 _"Perhaps I can assist you? Would you like anything to eat or drink?"_

 _Claudia's eyes had returned to the papers in her hands, and it only took split seconds for her to decide she couldn't do this in her current slightly sleepy state. Obviously, her family had a traditional way of dealing with this kinda situation._

 _"Coffee."_

 _"Vanilla Latte with almond milk?"_

 _"You know it. Oh, and SARAH? Remind me to talk to Henry tomorrow. And to call Doctor... Rockwell."_

 _With a sigh, the redhead let herself fall onto the sofa. She'd decided that she could start telling people (and AI's) about her moving after a good night's sleep, once her head stopped spinning._

 _And the day after that would already be Sunday._

 _She threw her combat boot covered feet onto the low table by the couch, doing her very best not to look too enthusiastic as she quietly whispered the words to herself._

 _"Endless wonders."_

Claudia turned to rest on her back, throwing her feet up against the wall. A somewhat sad smile crossed her lips as she thought about that Saturday. Nobody had expected her to leave again this soon, least of all herself.

They'd all asked how this offer came out of nowhere, and why she had to go the following day already. All of them, except Joshua, Carter and Henry. She knew the sheriff had been recalling his own transfer, when he left his occupation as a US Marshall behind to watch a town full of crazy scientists. And she'd talked to Henry in the morning, to confirm he'd known about this. The former spaceship engineer had assured her that she'd always have a home in Eureka, even though he strongly believed that she was about to discover her true calling.

Josh had been pretty quiet all along, but the message was clear. As much as he was proud of his little sister, he really didn't want her to leave. It was getting dark outside by the time he made his first comment about the situation.

 _"Are you sure about this, Di?"_

For a moment she'd looked hesitant, but then she nodded firmly.

 _"Positive."_

They'd both been fighting back tears when they hugged, whispering to each other about how they'd be missed and should call and text all the time to stay up to date about their lives.

With most of them, it had been all kinds of sad but hopeful and just so damn emotional. There were hugs and encouraging words, and she almost started missing them before she even left. There hadn't been a lot of tears, which Claudia was personally grateful for. Zane had teased and congratulated her, Allison had brought along the kids to say goodbye, Zoe told her about all the days she had to come back for each year, Grace had chuckled as Claudia reminded her to keep an extra eye on Henry for her, Vincent naturally made a scene and promised to keep on sending food so she wouldn't starve in this "terribly tasteless world", Jo had shown herself surprisingly sentimental and told her that she hoped the redhead would find what she was meant for, and finally Carter kept reminding her not to blow up her new workplace or home.

When she had left, the last ones by her side had been her brother, sister in law and niece.

Olivia hadn't played tough. Instead, she gave Claudia a downright bone crushing hug and let the tears flow. If the redhead was being honest, she admired the older woman for the way she wasn't afraid of being seen as weak. She just seemed to know that she wasn't.

While his wife had babbled on and on and kept reaching for a hand or a shoulder, Joshua settled for a simple hug and few words. And yet, the way it had been said and done almost had his sister crying.

Of course parting ways with her brother again was one of the worst goodbyes she'd had that day, but she'd be lying if she said it had been the one that was most likely to keep her in Eureka.

That special honor unsurprisingly belonged to her two year old niece. One sugary kiss on her cheek, and Claudia was unable to hold back the tears any longer. She'd held the girl tightly in her arms, pressed a kiss onto the top of her head and remained in that position for over a minute before she managed to pull away. It hadn't helped that Cady asked (in her adorable, for her age incredibly advanced babble) why she was so sad, while she'd sounded so utterly happy when she told them about what was about to happen.

 _"I'm just gonna miss you a lot, Digit."_

 _"You'll visit us!"_

Claudia knew that Cady Emhadn't really realized just what all of this meant then. She knew, because she also remembered the calls she'd gotten during the following months when the screen read "Liv" or "Josh" but she already knew that she would spend most of the conversation talking to their daughter. When the fact sunk in that Claudia was actually living somewhere else, for all of them. Including the redhead herself.

MIT had been one thing. Something temporary, with a clear goal in mind. But that day, she had known that she would stay away for more than that. For another life. The one she'd started planning, including working at GD and watching her niece grow up, had been left behind for something new.

Had it been easy? Rarely. But did she regret it? Never.

The Warehouse, the Bed & Breakfast and the team quickly settled down in Claudia's heart. At first as a new challenge, then as her secondary home. And eventually, it was just home. Yes, there were days when she wished she could simply teleport to Eureka and fall back into her old rhythm for a while. When she missed all the other people she still considered her family, or the futuristic way of living there. But then, she'd go down for breakfast or to a mission briefing. She'd get to know her coworkers a little better, step by step, and consider _them_ family too. Artie, Pete, Myka, Leena, (in a way) Mrs. F and (temporarily, although it never quite stopped) HG meant so much to her, that she didn't think about Eureka half as much as she expected.

Once upon a time, she'd called the most futuristic town in the present her favorite place to be. Now, there was nothing that called "Home Sweet Home" louder than what was probably the most historical building around. The steampunk-ish interior, the old-fashioned technology and the sweet smell of apples she just couldn't pinpoint the source of made her feel more at home than Eureka ever had.

Claudia wasn't sure whether she should feel good or bad because of that fact, but she was happy.

Well, all in all anyway. When she wasn't suffering from a near death or loss experience.

The redhead sunk her teeth into her lower lip, silently recalling the latest shocks her mind was still recovering from.

She wasn't sure what to consider the beginning of this mess. Myka had left. That had shaken up the entire team, the whole damn family. And it wouldn't have happened if Helena hadn't betrayed them, which already hit her hard enough. Then again, _that_ wouldn't have happened if MacPherson hadn't released HG from her bronze prison in the first place. If she remembered correctly, _he_ had done all of that crap because he disagreed with the Regents' rules.

Artie almost died more than once, HG was in some sort of prison, Myka quit on them and Pete was now walking around like a kicked puppy.

Was it the Regents' fault? MacPherson's? Helena's? Or should she blame whoever hired those people in first place? Wasn't Mrs. Frederic already in charge of that, when Artie and his former partner started at the Warehouse? If Claudia would be the Caretaker one day, would she make the same mistake? Could she really blame the current one?

In between all that, she'd be lying if she said she completely overcame the 'smaller' emotional tremors. She'd dared to set her hopes in a relationship, and hell broke loose. And as if that alone wasn't enough, within getting dumped for no obvious reason and finding out that Witness Protection was dragging her boyfriend out of the country, she'd had her first near death experience in the field.

Only to get saved by the woman who later on tried to trigger a frakking ice age.

Claudia understood perfectly why all of the above bothered her. She missed Myka, Todd and, as much as she currently hated to admit it, HG. She also missed a slightly less grumpy Artie, and a more sincerely cheerful Pete. Everybody was feeling left behind, confused and wondered what they could've done to prevent this from happening. And with the crushing atmosphere all around, the redhead repeatedly considered returning to Eureka. Not for good, just to cool off. But she couldn't leave her surrogate father, substitute brother and their young mother hen alone. Things between Leena and her were still a little tense, but by far not enough for Claudia to miss how the other woman was suffering. She guessed that it didn't help that their auras probably looked rotten during all this, so she didn't question why the innkeeper suddenly had trouble looking at her friends without cringing silently.

But no, leaving them wasn't an option. Instead, she tried her best to fill in the empty seats. Not literally, of course. Leena had hidden away the chairs in the living room that were no longer needed the night Myka left, and Claudia hadn't been in Myka's room ever since. It didn't feel right. The agent would come back eventually, and she wouldn't like it if anything was out of place.

At least the redhead _hoped_ that she'd return.

Claudia knew that hoping and wishing was dangerous, even without artifacts involved, but Myka was needed at the Warehouse. She saw it, especially whenever she went with Pete and Artie on a case. It wasn't that she didn't want to be a field agent, or that she couldn't handle it. She most definitely did, and she desperately wanted to prove that she could. But _not_ as anyone's replacement. Especially not somebody like Myka Bering. Aside from the fact that it just didn't feel right to even try, she knew that there was absolutely no way she could keep up with the older woman's trained skill set. And obviously, the others agreed with her. Otherwise, Artie wouldn't keep on insisting that he should be there when she was working with Pete. Of course, when he'd sent her with Myka it had been different. Myka could probably do this on her own too. And even with an untrained apprentice attached to her hand.

Although Claudia respected Artie and Pete a lot more than she showed on a daily basis, it was somewhat of a wonder in itself to her how they'd survived without Myka this long already.

And now _this_.

An incident that surprised her, but really shouldn't matter a whole lot when she considered all the crap she recently went through. Yet, it bothered her immensely.

It had been six years since the first and last time she'd actually talked to Steve Jinks, and yet the memory was burned into her mind. She'd thought they were getting along well, although that might've just been her imagination. And then, she'd taken it too far. Occasionally she still cursed herself for being so impulsive and naive, but she mostly got it (and him) out of her head.

Until this very day, when the brother of her sister in law showed up at a crime scene and pointed a gun at her.

Her brown eyes had grown wide as discs, while the only reaction she got from him was a look that may or may not have been a little surprised. Even if it had been, that still didn't mean he recognized her at all. She'd changed since that one time they saw each other, and people sent her weird looks all the time.

Of course, he'd changed a little too. It had been awhile after all. She remembered that Olivia said Steve was about three years younger than her, so he had to be five years older than Claudia. Back then, they'd been 18 and 23. Now, they were 24 and 29.

Claudia wondered if he'd already been with the ATF six years ago. She really couldn't remember ever hearing about what he did for a living. Had Olivia told her? No, she'd still know that. Wouldn't she? Did that mean that Liv didn't know at all? Did Emma? When was the last time either of them had seen Steve? When had their shared niece? Now that she went through her memories, she realized it had actually been awhile since anyone mentioned him. Or was it her fault? Did she get so out of touch with her family?

The last time she'd talked to them had been the previous week, although not for more than a few minutes. The last time she'd visited them must've been about three months ago. Or had it been four already?

The redhead had instinctively gone to Eureka when she was suspected to have helped MacPherson, hoping that if there was something in her head, they'd get it out. Grace, maybe. The director's wife had always been gentle and kind, yet never backed down. And she was unquestionably a great neuroscientist. But once it turned out that Claudia wasn't the double agent they were looking for, that trip only ended with Joshua in the hospital. Altogether, it wasn't exactly a vacation.

But when had that happened? It was before Todd entered the picture, and around the same time HG had become part of this mess, and they both left again already.

After that incident, she'd only seen Joshua, Olivia and the kid one more time around Christmas.

Now it was April, almost May.

Which meant that a third of this year had already passed by, and she hadn't visited them once without even realizing it.

Well, damn. Maybe she really was the one to blame.

Claudia bit her lower lip, almost disappearing entirely in her thoughts until the first notes of The Runaways' "Secrets" unexpectedly screamed for her attention.

She reached for her phone, blinking at the name on the screen for a few seconds before she picked up.

"Hey, Henry."

"Claudia, I'm glad I reached you... How are you?"

The redhead wasn't exactly an expert in human behavior, but even she could hear the poorly concealed pain in his voice. Regret, concern, compassion. It wasn't the most reassuring combination.

"Well, I'm okay enough now, but something tells me I won't be feeling too amazing by the end of this conversation."

"Claudia..."

"Don't. Just... don't skirt around this. That only costs time. Henry, what's wrong?"

She could hear him sigh on the other end of the line, obviously not thrilled that she'd killed every chance for small talk to ease her into what he had to say. But that only made her more impatient.

"There's... been an accident. Dia, I'm so sorry. I should've kept a closer eye on his experiments. He's always been so confident about his research, but it was still too dangerous to do on his own. I should've never let this happen, but I made that mistake and we... We can't find them."

He'd gone from hesitance to high speed and back again so quickly that Claudia could barely keep up. But the emotions in his trembling voice were speaking rather clearly. The doubts, the guilt, the remorse... Her first instinct had been the right one, and it felt like a proper punch in the gut. Joshua had been in a lab accident. Her brother, the only one left of the family she'd been born into, was... gone? Confusion flooded her mind, and she forcefully pushed everything else aside.

"What do you mean, you can't find... Wait, them?"

Her breath got caught up in her throat again as the idea sunk in, and her own voice had become shaky towards the end. She put up a fight to keep the tears from leaving her eyes, but the battle was lost as soon as Henry spoke again.

"He'd been there on his own for hours, so Olivia went to check up on him. She was there when it happened. Claudia, I..."

The young woman guessed that another apology followed, but everything around her was blurring. His voice had become an incoherentmess of noise in her ears. She still hadn't given up, keeping the tears rolling down her cheeks at a minimum and her head as clear as somehow possible. But she felt so lost and helpless, knowing they were gone. The two people she'd been relying on since she was a kid, in the place of her own parents, were gone. It stung so badly to remember, this wasn't the first time she'd heard something like this. She could still remember a lot of that time, including the headline of the local newspaper.

 _Donovan Couple and Teen Daughter Killed in Car Crash_ , it had said. And suddenly, Claudia was gripped by a horrifying possibility.

"Henry, what about Cady?"

"Zoe and Kevin are watching her, Jenna and Jordan. She was with them already. I talked to Zoe. She can stay there until you're here."

Although the situation remained heavy on her heart, she was flooded with relief right then. At least her niece was safe. She was in a similarly crappy position now as Claudia had been in 1999, but she would hopefully be a little more sheltered. For now, she was in good hands. Claudia and Zoe had been friends for about a decade already, so she knew the young doctor would handle things as well as somehow possible. And as Henry already assumed, there was absolutely no question that Claudia would be there for the four year old as soon as humanely possible.

"Okay. Thanks, Henry. I'll book the earliest flight I can to get to you guys."

"No need. Doctor Rockwell's coming to town for the funeral. He said he'd pick you up tomorrow morning, if that's alright for you."

Claudia rolled her lips in, almost managing a small smirk. Of course, it was typical for the chivalrous founder of Eureka to offer something like this.

"I've gotta settle some things here, but that should work. I'll make it work if I have to."

"I don't doubt it. See you tomorrow, kiddo. Oh, and Claudia?"

The young woman could pretty much see where this was going, but maybe it would help her to hear it.

"Yeah?"

"We'll get through this, all of us together."

It didn't, not really. But he didn't have to know that. He was trying to help.

"Thanks, Henry."

She cut off the call just in time. After less than ten seconds, sobs started shaking her body. Everything was suddenly so cold, so she'd wrapped her arms around her shins and curled into a ball of emotions to fight the shivers. Her breathing got more irregular with every second, and the tears just wouldn't stop flowing.

She remembered this. When their parents died, Claudia was only seven and couldn't really process things the way her brother had. It had taken years for the shock to settle in. But people kept asking, and every answer she had to give was hitting her harder than the one before. Realization came like a punch in the face for the girl, and that's when the nightmares and panic attacks had started. The only one who could heal her then had been Joshua. But now, he was part of the cause. He was gone, meaning he couldn't be there to offer comfort. He never could again.

She'd been so caught up in her misery that she hadn't noticed the door opening, or the careful steps approaching. She barely realized how the mattress moved underneath her. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a soft voice that she reacted to his presence at all.

"Claudia? Hey, what's wrong?"

She could hear the concern in Pete's voice, but she didn't raise her gaze. He started running his hand up and down her back, climbing onto the sheets to pull her against his side. She didn't have the power to push him away or put on a brave face. Her whole world was crumbling, and she couldn't stop it.

It took almost half an hour of soothing, repetitive phrases of comfort from her substitute brother before her breathing calmed down enough for her to speak.

"They're gone."

That was all she could get off her lips right then. She remembered saying those words, although not as broken and definite, when her parents and sister died. She'd looked at Joshua with big brown eyes, let the situation sink in and just asked to have her assumptions confirmed.

 _"They're gone, aren't they?"_

She couldn't believe this had happened to her again. And beyond that, she couldn't believe the world was cruel enough to send her niece through it. That beautiful, inquisitive young girl didn't have parents anymore. Unlike Claudia, she didn't have any older siblings to lean on either. Her only known blood relatives now were Emma, Steve and Claudia herself.

The mere thought of the beloved child growing up without Josh and Livi, the mere memory of how much was taken from both of them, brought back the violent sobs and stinging tears. It didn't stop until the redhead was worn out to the bone, and she fell asleep in the embrace of the only brother she had left in the world of the living.


End file.
